Menu

The Red Sun

There are some really cool atmospheric illusions that can be used in photography to make some really interesting images. The one I want to harp on is the red sun. You see this often when there is lots of smoke in the air blocking out most of the light coming from the sun. It’s one of the few times when looking at the sun won’t blind you. But is it really that good to put in a photograph?

My basic belief is that the red sun is along the same guidelines as a full moon. If you’re going to have it in the photograph it has to have a strong reason too. It can’t just be some little dot in the background that your eye will naturally go to and then you can’t look away from. Just because it’s there and you think it’s neat is not a good enough reason for a photograph. It has to have a purpose that is easily recognizable in the photo without being overpowering. If you google sun images in smoke you’ll see some good ones and a lot of bad ones. If you’re going to use that element be sure you do it in a good way.